Rotary engine.



Inventor-6 PATBNTED 001". 9, 1906.

P LE VALLEY & J W SHIPFER ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 10 1905 Witnesses Z Attorneys GIL/WASHINGTON, n. r:v

FRED LE VALLEY AND JAMES W. SHIFFER, OF HUTOHINSON,

KANSAS.

ROTARY ENGINE} Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

A li ti fil d November 10, 1905. serial No. 286,770-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED LE VALLEY and JAMES W. SHIFFER, citizens of the United States, residing at Hutchinson, in the county of Reno and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its principal object to provide an engine in which steam or other fluid under pressure may be economically employed for power purposes and in which the force acting to revolve the piston will be practically the same throughout all portions of the movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a twin-cylinder engine of the eccentricpiston type in which the expansion-spaces of the cylinders are disposed at diametrically opposite points, so that one or other of such pistons will at all times be subjected to pressure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a twin-cylinder engine in which the piston members are separated from each other by a relatively thin partition that constitutes the dividing-wall of the cylinders; and a further object is to provide improved means for packing the pistons and preventing the escape of any steam from the expansion-spaces of the cylinders.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a rotary engine con structed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the packing members employed between the two pistons.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The double cylinder of the engine is formed of two castings 10 and 11, having bolting- I flanges 12, between which is Secured a partition 13 for separating the cylinders from each other. The cylinder members are provided with integral heads, and said heads have centrally-disposed bearings for the support of a main shaft 15, on which the two piston-drums 16 and 17 may be secured. The piston-drums are circular in form, and each is provided with a diametrical slot 18 for the passage of a movable wing 19, that is moved diametrically across the piston by contact with the wall of the cylinder. Each of the cylinder-walls is arranged to follow closely the periphery of the piston for approximately half the circumference of said piston, and the remaining portion is of larger diameter, forming a steam or expansion space 20, in which the projected end of the piston-wing is subjected to pressure, and these expansionspaces are located in the cylinder member 10 at the top and in the cylinder member 11 at the bottom, or, mother words, are diametrically opposite each other, and the pistonwings of the respective pistons are parallel, so that one or other of the wings is constantly under pressure and the working force is uniform at all portions of the rotative movement. The piston-wings 18 slide through grooves formed in the piston-bodies and also extend through suitable grooves that are formed in the main shaft 14, and as the ends of the wings approach the inclined or curved portions of the wall of the cylinder where the wall curves outward to form the expansionspaces the wing will be moved in the direction of its length, one end leaving the expansion-space, while the other end moves thereinto.

The steam or other fluid under pressure is admitted through a pipe 20, and the exhaust is conducted away through a pipe 21, these pipes leading to a valve-casing 22, which is preferably provided with a suitable reversing-valve in order that when necessary pipe 21 may be employed to conduct steam to the engine and pipe 20 utilized for conveying the exhaust therefrom.

The inner walls of the cylinder-heads are preferably provided with annular grooves for the reception of annular packing-strips 23, that are held against the outer faces of the pistons by springs 24, and the intermediate partition or wall 13, which extends from the periphery of the cylinder inward to a point within the peripheries of the pistons, is arranged for the support of a pair of packingor other actuating rings and 26. These packing-rings are provided with interfitting webs 27 and 28, respectively, and have flat faces that bear against 'the inner faces of the pistons at points opposite the packing-rings 23. In order to hold the packing-rings 25 and 26 in steam-tight contact with the pistons, the partition 13 is provided with openings 29, in which springs 30 are seated, said springs actin on both the packing-rings 25 and 26 and ho ding said rings tightly in place.

The construction is such that the various parts of the engine may be readily renewed and in operation it is impossible for the steam fluid to pass from the expansion-spaces toward the shaft.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- In a rotary engine, a double cylinder having expansion-spaces arranged at diametrically opposite points, a shaft, a pair of pistondrums mounted upon the shaft, 'slidable piston-wings extending diametrically through the piston-drums and shaft, packing-rings arranged in grooves in the cylinder-heads, a partition-ring dividing the cylinders and pistons, said ring being provided with openings for the passage of packing-springs, packing rings fitting against the inner wall of the partition and having interfitting webs, the opposite packing-strips being engaged by the opposite ends of the springs and being forced thereby into contact with the adjacent faces of the pistons.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

FRED LE VALLEY. JAMES W. SHIFFER.

Witnesses:

A. M. SMITH, O. L. J EWELL. 

